Analysis: Trump’s campaigning stoops to new lows
Analysis from CNN’s Stephen Collinson
President Donald Trump and the pandemic he is supposed to be fighting are running out of control with the two weeks until Election Day shaping up as among the most ugly and divisive periods ever ahead of a presidential vote.
He’s on a fresh collision course with Dr. Anthony Fauci, who’s publicly questioning why Trump thinks mask wearing is weak after a wild weekend that saw the President, who’s trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in the polls and still playing to his base, pack swing state rallies that flouted his government’s Covid-19 protocols.
The latest clash between the top infectious disease specialist and the President came as the pandemic that has already killed more than 219,000 Americans worsened at the start of a feared fall and winter spike that threatens to further damage Trump’s reelection.
Trump is fighting for his political life campaigning at rallies that are almost the only mass participation events with no social distancing taking place in the US. His attacks are getting more extreme as the election gets closer, as he demands the locking up of his political rivals. He’s claiming the election, and Thursday’s presidential debate, are rigged against him.
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A 14-year-old girl’s discovery could lead to a cure for Covid-19
From CNN’s Alaa Elassar
As scientists around the world race to find a treatment for the coronavirus, a young girl among them stands out.
Anika Chebrolu, a 14-year-old from Frisco, Texas, has just won the 2020 3M Young Scientist Challenge — and a $25,000 prize — for a discovery that could provide a potential therapy to Covid-19.
Anika’s winning invention uses in-silico methodology to discover a lead molecule that can selectively bind to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
“The last two days, I saw that there is a lot of media hype about my project since it involves the SARS-CoV-2 virus and it reflects our collective hopes to end this pandemic as I, like everyone else, wish that we go back to our normal lives soon,” Anika told CNN.
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More than 46,000 fans gathered for a rugby match in New Zealand — an unusual sight in 2020
From CNN’s Matias Grez
A near-capacity 46,049 crowd was present at Eden Park as New Zealand defeated Australia 27-7 in game two of rugby’s Bledisloe Cup.
Covid-19 restrictions in Auckland, which re-entered lockdown in August following a small outbreak of coronavirus cases, were lifted at the start of the month to allow crowds to return to stadiums.
Eden Park was one of very few sports stadiums in the world the host a full crowd over the weekend.
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US reports more than 48,000 new Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Alta Spells
A total of 48,210 new cases of Covid-19 were diagnosed in the United States on Sunday, according to Johns Hopkins University. At least 388 new virus-related deaths were also reported.
At least 8,154,594 coronavirus cases have now been identified nationwide since the pandemic began, killing at least 219,674 people, according to the university’s tally.
The totals include cases from 49 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
The state of Wisconsin did not report numbers on Sunday. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services announced on Saturday that due to routine maintenance and updates to their data reporting system, they would not report any new data on Saturday or Sunday.
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Cathay Pacific reports 83% drop in passengers in first 9 months of the year
From CNN’s Eric Cheung in Hong Kong
The number of passengers flying Cathay Pacific dropped by 83.2% in the first nine months of 2020 compared to the same period last year, the Hong Kong-based carrier said Monday.
Ronald Lam, chief customer and commercial officer for the airline, said he expects Cathay to be operating at about 10% of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity for the rest of 2020, and less than 50% for the whole of next year.
“We assume we will be operating well below a quarter of pre-pandemic capacity in the first half of next year but will see a recovery in the second half of the year — only assuming the vaccines currently under development prove to be effective and are widely adopted in our key markets by summer 2021,” he said.
China’s economy grew nearly 5% last quarter
From CNN Business’ Laura He in Hong Kong
China is continuing to steadily recover from the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The world’s second largest economy expanded 4.9% in the July-to-September quarter compared to a year ago, according to government statistics released Monday.
The number was somewhat weaker than expected. Analysts polled by Refinitiv predicted that China would post 5.2% growth.
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Malaysia reports single-day high of new Covid-19 cases
From CNN’s Eric Cheung in Hong Kong
Malaysia reported 871 new coronavirus cases on Sunday, the highest number in a single day since the outbreak began, according to the state-run Bernama News Agency.
The country has so far recorded 20,498 Covid-19 cases and 187 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
Dr. Noor Hisham, the country’s director-general of health, said most cases were reported in the northeastern state of Sabah in Borneo, according to Bernama.
Last Tuesday, parts of Malaysia — including Sabah and the capital, Kuala Lumpur — were placed under a Conditional Movement Control Order, which prohibits activities like weddings and sporting events. Inter-district travel for non-work purposes has also been banned.
Pelosi sets 48-hour deadline to approve stimulus deal before the election
From CNN’s Chandelis Duster and Nicky Robertson
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Sunday she and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin must reach an agreement within 48 hours if they want to pass a coronavirus stimulus relief bill before Election Day.
“The 48 only relates to if we want to get it done before the election, which we do,” Pelosi said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.” “But we’re saying to them we have to freeze the design on some of these things. Are we going with it or not? And what is the language.”
Pelosi is putting pressure on the administration to cut a deal by Tuesday because the legislative process in the House and Senate will take time to play out, and it won’t be feasible to get a bill passed through both chambers by November 3 if the talks drag on beyond the next couple days.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced on Saturday there would be votes on stimulus measures, including a stand-alone Paycheck Protection Program bill to help small businesses, on Tuesday and Wednesday. But Democrats, who are expected to block McConnell’s effort, have been pushing for a larger deal, banking on on-again, off-again talks that Pelosi has had with Mnuchin for months.
Pelosi’s office told CNN Sunday that the 48 hours refers to the end of the day on Tuesday and that they need answers to key outstanding questions by then or they won’t be able to get a bill passed before the election. Negotiations would still continue after Tuesday if a deal isn’t reached, but it wouldn’t get done in time before Election Day.
The California Democrat also said during the interview with ABC the White House has watered down language Democrats have been pushing to create a national plan for Covid-19 testing and contact tracing. She also noted that the Trump administration had changed much of the language on testing and tracing after the two sides seemingly came to an agreement last week.
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Fauci says he is “absolutely not” surprised Trump got Covid-19
From CNN’s Paul LeBlanc
Dr. Anthony Fauci said he is “absolutely not” surprised President Donald Trump contracted Covid-19 after seeing him surrounded by people not wearing face masks and flouting best public health practices.
Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, said during an interview on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that aired Sunday, “I was worried that he was going to get sick when I saw him in a completely precarious situation of crowded — no separation between people, and almost nobody wearing a mask.”
“When I saw that on TV, I said, ‘Oh my goodness. Nothing good can come out of that, that’s got to be a problem,'” he continued.
“And then sure enough, it turned out to be a superspreader event.”
Fauci appeared to be referencing the Rose Garden event where Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett was his pick to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court. At least 12 people have tested positive for Covid-19 after attending the September 26 event.
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